SHORT REPORT The article was published by Academy of Chemistry of Globe Publications www.acgpubs.org/RNP © Published 10/23/2011 EISSN: 1307-6167 Rec. Nat. Prod. 6:2 (2012) 175-179 Chemical Composition, Antioxidant and Anticholinesterase Activities of the Essential Oil of Salvia chrysophylla Staph Mehmet Emin Duru, Gülsen Tel, Mehmet Öztürk * and Mansur Harmandar Faculty of Sciences, Department of Chemistry, Muğla University, 48121 Mugla, Türkiye (Received May 2, 2011; Revised September 7, 2011; Accepted September 15, 2011) Abstract: The essential oil from the aerial parts of Salvia chrysophylla Staph (Lamiaceae), endemic to Turkey, was investigated by using GC and GC-MS. Fifty-four of 55 components, represented 99.52% of the total oil, were identified. The major components of the essential oil were found to be α-terpinenyl acetate (36.31%), β- caryophyllene (15.29%), linalool (8.12%) and β-elemene (4.26%). The antioxidant activity of the oil was investigated by using 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and β-carotene/linoleic acid tests. Anticholinesterase activity was screened against acetylcholinesterase and butyrylcholinesterase which are the chief enzymes of Alzheimer’s disease. The essential oil showed weak antioxidant activity. However, at 1 mg/mL concentration, the essential oil exhibited mild acetylcholinesterase (52.5±2.0%) and moderate butyrylcholinesterase (76.5±2.7%) inhibitory activity Keywords: Salvia chrysophylla; essential oil; GC and GC-MS; antioxidant activity; anticholinesterase activity 1. Plant Source Modern scientific investigations have confirmed several biological activities such as antibacterial [1], antituberculous [2], antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anticholinesterase [3], anticancer [4], antiviral, cytotoxic [5], cardiovascular [6] and liver protective [7] for the Salvia species. Some Salvia species in Europe, however, have been also used against memory loss [8]. Moreover, in a report, the Ottoman herbalist-physician lived between 1641 and 1693 years, had used same plant for memory enhancement [9]. Whole plant material of Salvia chrysophylla Staph (Lamiaceae) was collected from the Fethiye-Girdev plateau (2100 m), Turkey in August, 2009. The voucher specimen (No: TSP-1003), has been deposited in the Herbarium of Chemistry, Faculty of Arts and Science, Muğla University, Türkiye. 2. Previous Studies Essential oil composition of S. chrysophylla has been reported by a recent study [10]. However, it has not been studied in detail. According to this report [10], major components of the essential oil have been determined as 3-octanol, α-phellandren-8-ol, camphor and limonene. The antioxidant activity of the only extracts such as dichloromethane, ethylacetate and methanol extracts of S.chrysophylla was previously studied [11-12]. * Corresponding author: E-Mail: omehmet@mu.edu.tr ; Phone: +90-252-211-3138; Fax: +90-252-211-1472.